Brittney Griner, Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike among those first off the board from the Lone Star State.
Caitlin Clark is expected to hear her name called as the No. 1 pick of 2024 WNBA Draft. If the Indiana Fever select Clark, the former
Dowling Catholic (West Des Moines) star would become the first player to be taken with the top pick from the state of Iowa since the WNBA began in 1997.
Texas leads the way with five No. 1 overall picks including WNBA MVPs Brittney Griner and Nneka Ogwumike. Ogwumike along with her sister Chiney and Lindsey Harding all hail from
Cy-Fair (Cypress), which is one of two schools to have three No. 1 overall picks.
The other is
Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), home of Sue Bird, Tina Charles and Chamique Holdsclaw, who have combined for 27 WNBA All-Star appearances.
New York and California are second with four No. 1 picks from each. Sabrina Ionescu is the most recent top selection from the Golden State in 2020 to the New York Liberty. WNBA legends Kelsey Plum, Diana Taurasi and Tina Thompson also prepped in California.
Tina Thompson was the first selection of the college draft in 1997, the inaugural year of the WNBA. That year the WNBA also held an Elite Draft for players who had already graduated from college and were playing professionally on other American teams or overseas. Dena Head was the first selection in the 1997 Elite Draft. Both Thompson and Head are included on this list.
Texas – 5No. 1 pick, high school, year drafted
Brittney Griner,
Nimitz (Houston), 2013
Lindsey Harding,
Cy-Fair (Cypress), 2007
Chiney Ogwumike, Cy-Fair, 2014
Nneka Ogwumike, Cy-Fair, 2012
California – 4
Kelsey Plum,
La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla), 2017
Diana Taurasi,
Don Lugo (Chino), 2004
Tina Thompson,
Morningside (Inglewood), 1997 College Draft
New York – 4Sue Bird,
Christ the King (Middle Village), 2002
Tina Charles, Christ the King, 2010
Chamique Holdsclaw, Christ the King, 1999
Breanna Stewart,
Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero), 2016
Illinois – 2Jewell Loyd,
Niles West (Skokie), 2015
Candace Parker,
Naperville Central (Naperville), 2008
Michigan – 1Dena Head,
Salem (Canton), 1997 Elite Draft
Mississippi – 1LaToya Thomas,
Greenville, 2003
Wisconsin – 1Janel McCarville,
Stevens Point, 2005
Louisiana – 1Seimone Augustus,
Capitol (Baton Rouge), 2006
North Carolina – 1Angel McCoughtry,
Patterson (Lenoir), 2009
Georgia – 1Maya Moore,
Collins Hill (Suwanee), 2011
South Carolina – 1A'ja Wilson,
Heathwood Hall Episcopal (Columbia), 2018
Indiana – 1Jackie Young,
Princeton, 2019
Tennessee – 1Rhyne Howard,
Bradley Central (Cleveland), 2022
Massachusetts – 1Aliyah Boston,
Worcester Academy (Worcester), 2023
Outside of United States
Margo Dydek, 1998, Poland
Ann Wauters, 2000, Belgium
Lauren Jackson, 2001, Australia
